Through the Fire and Flames
by frenzdrive
Summary: Paily AU: Racer!Paige & Journalist!Emily
1. Chapter 1

The tight leather crunched as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel; determination permanently etched into her brow, dark chocolate eyes set to the pavement before her. The engine of her dragster roared loudly, like a caged beast begging for its freedom. The sound would be deafly to others, but it was like sweet clamor that she grew to love.

The world around her outside the steel roll cage did not matter; it was only her and her car, the inanimate best friend she much preferred over humans. Out of timeworn habit, she blinked twice quickly – prepping her eyes for the signal of the Christmas tree – the light that would determine her fate within this race.

Through the padding of her helmet, she heard a dull banging from the outer of her shell, her father appeared to her left, within the small window that was too small for him to fit through, "Paige," He said gruffly, in a tone she had always disliked, "Don't get tunnel vision,"

She could roll her eyes at his statement, the same statement he repeated for the past few years, but she suppressed it, "All right, I won't," She said, her voice muffled by the engine and helmet. He gave a tight smile that Paige knew was forced, but she thought nothing more of it as her father disappeared from her sight.

Slowly, her competition rolled beside her; a Thomas Flint from Michigan, who Paige had met at a competition years ago. She felt her chest constrict to the memory; fire burned at her thoughts and she found herself pushing back to the current reality. Paige took a deep breath, "You have this," She muttered to herself, quickly eying Flint, "You have this,"

One of the men of her crew gave her a thumbs-up, her indicator that her eyes should be among the light, waiting for that split second – the make or break of the entirety of the race. Paige shut the visor of her helmet, her mind officially focused.

The light blinked a deep yellow, then again, and again, before it finally set to green, but by that time Paige had already floored her dragster, the motor loudly rivetingly throughout the racetrack, pumping an infamous amount of adrenaline through Paige's bloodstream.

From the stands, the race appeared to be over with in a matter of seconds, but, to Paige, she felt as though it had been long minutes – her mind slowing everything down, until she crossed the faded paint of the finish line of the track. She deployed her parachute, which pulled her dragster into a slowing speed, and, very gradually, into a stop.

Her heart was pounding in her ears – a deafening, dull, incessant beat rhythmically thumping in her head. She lifted the visor of her helmet, and her eyes caught the eyes of her crew, who were smiling at her. The first to approach Paige was Robert, her 'father-that-she-wished-she-had-instead', he smiled brightly as Paige unbuckled her harness. Instinctively, he held out his hand, which Paige gladly took, and helped her to her feet, as she squeezed her body through the small opening of her dragster. She took off her helmet and removed her balaclava, finally letting the world catch up to her.

"My Paige," Robert said, with a very proud smile, "You knocked it out of the track!"

His smiling was inevitably infectious; Paige mimicked his smile, "Did I?" She asked, "How fast did I go?"

He only smiled wider, exposing his white teeth, and even the dark of the missing tooth in the back, "Three hundred…" He started as Paige's eyes widened, "And twenty-six," He hadn't prepared himself for the engulfing hug, but, almost like a proud father, he welcomed her and her victory, "I'm very proud of you," He said, almost inaudibly, as the rest of her crew came around and joined the hug.

"All right, McCullers," Patrick, another crew member, announced, "Let's get you back to the front," He patted her on the back, "You did a great job out there, kiddo," The group hug ended as they returned back into their serious mode – anchoring the dragster onto the back of their pick-up truck.

"Come on, Paige," Robert said, draping a heavy arm around Paige's shoulders, "You have a trophy waiting for you," He guided them to the back of the pick-up truck, offering help as she climbed into the bed of the vehicle. He lifted himself onboard, and, after securing the dragster, Patrick climbed in the back as well, knocking on the hood of the truck. Paige braced herself as the truck began moving, progressing slowly towards the front. For the first time, she looked out to the on-looking audience who had watched her, and the sound finally flooded into her ears; cheering.

_Wow, _Paige thought to herself, a small smile filling her face. She looked over to Robert, who most likely already knew what Paige was thinking, and he nodded. It was all of two minutes before Paige was back at the beginning, climbing down from the truck, pulling off her gloves. Her father approached her, "Come on, Paige," He said simply, and she obliged, following him towards the press.

Paige never liked talking to the press; it wasn't a matter of being shy, more so of being private. She sighed quietly as she approached newscasters and journalists, at least she could pick whom she wanted to talk to. At _least_ she had that luxury; otherwise, her father probably would have lined her up with every person with a voice or a pen.

She scanned the few journalists, who stood nearby, in their designated area, and didn't see any who she particularly wanted to talk to, but she had to talk to at least one. Paige could sense her father watching over her, silently urging her on. Finally, her eyes settled on a brunette wearing glasses, looking down at a notepad, "Do you know which newspaper she represents?" Paige asked her father, tilting her head towards the brunette for his clarity.

"She represents Rosewood Times," He responded, not very impressed by the selection, "Small-time," He added, "I wouldn't waste an interview with them. Why don't you look at Fox over there, they report all through Pennsylvania,"

"You said I can pick anyone," Paige reminded him, "And I pick Rosewood, okay?" He shook his head, "I'll be back," She left him, and made her way to the journalist. Once she gained closer proximity, Paige spoke, "Hello," The brunette jumped, dropping her notepad onto the ground. Paige knelt and picked it up, handing it back to the journalist, "I didn't mean to frighten you,"

"No, it's okay," She took the notepad, and then looked up, recognizing who was in front of her, "Oh, my god, you're Paige McCullers," She gasped, "I'm supposed to get an interview… I mean… can I interview you?"

Paige nodded, smiling at how frazzled the woman appeared to be, "Sure, you can,"

"Um, I'm Emily Fields, with Rosewood Times," She introduced, "Congratulations on your win… this… will be your third win, right?" Paige nodded, so she continued, "Does it feel good to return to racing… after the incident back in 2011…?"

Paige sucked in a breath, "It does, it feels great actually,"

"Have you, um," She flipped through a few pages of her notepad, quickly reading over scribbled notes, Paige inwardly chuckled at the journalist. She looked up and noticed the humored look on Paige's face, "What?"

"It's nothing," Paige said, "I've just never had an interview like this before," And it was true, this was already a unique experience.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, brushing a stray hair behind her ear, "This is my first time interviewing someone… who's not from Rosewood,"

"It's okay, when I first started racing outside of my hometown," Paige started, trying to comfort her interviewer, "I was too nervous to even look up at the light, and I was losing all of my races because I have to look at the light, you know," Bringing her story to it's point, "But, after a while the nerves went away, and, today, I won the NHRA Championship,"

Emily gave a warm, genuine smile, "Thank you, Ms. McCullers,"

"Just call me Paige,"

"Thank you, Paige," Emily repeated, correcting herself with the new name, "I… don't know what else to ask,"

"How about I make a proposition,"

Emily scrunched her eyebrows, "What proposition?"

"I'll give you a chance to redo this interview," Paige suggested, "_if _you can wait until after I can get a second to pack up and get out of this gear, because, honestly, with the sun beaming down on me, I'm burning up,"

"I… alright," She said, "Deal,"

"Deal?"

"Deal,"

* * *

**Read and Review**

**-Frenz**


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe that you wasted your time with that girl," Paige's father, Nick, complained as the two of them walked towards their small pit area, "Did you _not _see how disorganized she was? She probably doesn't even know a single thing about drag racing," He shook his head as Paige sighed, "What is the point of even winning this championship if you're not going to bother talking to the bigger newspersons, Paige?" He glanced to his right, catching a glimpse of his daughter, "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes," Paige grunted, slowly coming to a stop when she caught the eyes of Robert staring in their direction, "I'm listening," She answered quietly, "If it pleases you, I'll call around tonight,"

Her answer appeared to be satisfactory as Nick gave a tight smile, "Good," He said simply, walking without Paige towards the pick-up truck, now equipped with a trailer that held Paige's dragster. She sighed – a long, deep breath slowly exerting from her lungs, pushing its way to the fresh summer air.

The sun was slowly setting beneath the horizon as the sky turned into a mixture of vermillion and palatinate – tangling together in color, leisurely darkening the day as night arose to its designated time period. It was still warm outside, which led Paige to feel discomfort under her suit as she stood where her father left her.

Robert approached Paige with his usual smile, "Paige," He started, calmly, "Patrick brought your bag with your change of clothes," He patted her on the back gently, "Don't be too hard on yourself, my dear," He said, as if he could read her mind, "Nick's just like that, you know?"

"Right," Paige said, shaking her head, "So, Pat brought the bag?" Robert nodded, "Can you ask him to bring it to me? I promised an interview earlier, and I know if I head to the truck, Dad's going to want to leave now,"

"Well, you're the captain," He said, saluting Paige before sauntering off, leaving her alone only for a minute or two, and returning with Paige's purple duffle bag, "Here you go,"

Paige grasped the handle, and pulled the bag towards her, "Thanks," She smiled, feeling grateful that she had a person like Robert in her life, "Really, Rob, thank you for… for everything,"

"Oh, hon," He said, placing his hand over his heart, "You're going to make me shed a tear,"

"You're a grown man,"

"Only real men cry, Paige," He smirked, "Now get changed, and talk to that cutie,"

_Of course… _Paige thought, turning around and heading towards the port-a-potties, _Of course, Robert would notice. _She entered the small space and shut the door behind her; swiftly, with precision, she peeled off her suit. It was damp from sweat, worn from the usage over the past years by serving its purpose. As Paige slipped on her regular clothes, her mind fluttered to the brunette named Emily Fields.

Robert was right, Emily was quite the looker, and she had certainly gained Paige's attention. With Paige's father running her schedule, Paige hardly had a chance to be around others – professionally or personally. And, despite this being an interview, she could imagine that her time that she would share with Emily would be memorable for the time being.

She left the stall with her bag after she finished the finally touches to being a normal woman, and headed towards the area from earlier, which was now deserted by the large news stations and journalists who had deemed the event over. However, as expected, her dark eyes fell upon the brunette, who stood by herself, waiting.

"Hello," Paige greeted, with a smile, "I'm glad that you stayed,"

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Emily mirrored Paige's smile, "I'm glad that you could let me interview you… well… again,"

She waved her hand in dismissal, "Don't worry about it, I don't mind honestly," Paige quickly scanned the girl before her – Emily was dressed comfortably; jeans, a plain white shirt, and sneakers. She appreciated the simple look. "Have you thought of questions to ask,"

Emily nodded, "I did," Flipping through her notepad, she took a deep breath, "Why did you go into racing?" She asked, looking at Paige with expectancy

Paige shrugged, not giving too much thought to the question, "I've always liked racing, especially as a kid," She shrugged once more, "My dad just pushed my love into a career,"

She waited as Emily jot down Paige's response into the notepad, "How often do you train?"

"Almost everyday," Paige replied instantly, "Maybe for five or six hours, sometimes more"

"That's a lot…" Emily responded, "I bet a lot has gone into your dragster too… I heard that you handle a 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine when you race,"

Paige raised her brows in amusement, so she does know some drag race information, "Yes, I do, but my team has put in a lot of time and work into the engine… and making sure that everything runs smoothly…"

Before the next question was asked, Paige could sense what it would be about, so she braced herself as Emily spoke, "So… in 2011… there was an incident," Emily started, hesitantly, refusing to meet the eyes of the young racer, "And it was suspected that you wouldn't race again… how does it feel to be back _and _win after being absent from the track scene for so long…?"

"Feels great, actually," Paige started, choosing her words carefully, "There were tough times, there were even times when I thought that I'd never race again, but this is my passion, and I couldn't give up on myself like that,"

Emily had a small smile on her face as Paige answered; she understood Paige's perspective after the incident – even found it motivational, "I'm glad that you could overcome such an event,"

"Me too," Paige agreed quietly, "So, anymore questions?'

"I think that's all I need," Emily said, looking down at her notepad and then back to Paige, "Thank you so much for this,"

"It's fine, it's fine, you don't have to thank me,"

"There's got to be something I can do to make it up to you,"

Paige contemplated, "You know, there is one thing you could do for me,"

"All right, what is it,"

"Just write a really great article for me," Paige said, "I'd actually like to read it,"

* * *

"Paige," Robert cooed quietly, placing a gentle hand on the sleeping girl's shoulder. She slowly roused from her slumber, and tiredly eyed Robert, "Hey, sleepyhead," He started before sliding a newspaper under her arm, "I got you the paper that you were talking about,"

"Thanks," Paige croaked, rolling onto her back, "What time is it,"

"About nine o'clock," He said, "Your dad's already at the track,"

Paige groaned, "I just want a day off,"

Robert understood; he knew that Paige couldn't slack around as long as Nick was nearby, he wouldn't allow it, and, despite all of Robert's efforts, he couldn't get Nick to slow Paige down, "Paige,"

"Noooo…" She pulled her blankets over her head, as if it were an invisible cloak, Robert chuckled.

"Come on, girl," He urged humorously, "If you get up, I'll treat you to something,"

Paige peeked above her blankets, "Treat me to what"

"Hm," He rubbed his bald head, contemplating, "Well, you're too young for a beer, so that's out of the question,"

"You've let me have beer before,"

"And I'm pretty sure that I told you that we were going to erase that from both of our memories,"

"Erase what,"

"Ha-ha, okay, Paige, how about this one; you get out of bed, I'll… let you take my motorcycle out,"

"For how long?"

"Two hours,"

"Four"

"Two and a half"

"Four," Paige repeated, firmly, as she sat up in bed, waiting for Robert to challenge her.

"Three," He replied, "Three hours _and _I'll have Roxie whip up some waffles for you too,"

Roxie, Robert's wife, was the best cook that Paige had ever met, so, without any hesitation, "Deal," She pushed her blankets off of her body, and swung her feet to the side of her bed, "I haven't had a meal from Roxie for so long," Paige started, "I'm deprived,"

"Don't worry, I'll tell her to make a lot for you," He patted her knee, "Now, read what that pretty gal wrote about you," He started, "I've already read it myself, and I must say, fantastic choice, Paige,"

"That good, huh?" She asked as her eyes scanned the gray of the newspaper, instantly recognizing herself on the cover. Underneath, came words:

_ROSEWOOD, PA – Paige McCullers, 20, the woman inside the 8,000 horse powered dragster, competed and won the National Hot Rod Association championship this past Saturday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. _

_On a quarter mile track, McCullers made a dazzling run of 3.992 seconds at the highlight speed of 326.74 mph, making her the fastest competitor in recent NHRA history._

_After making her first run since her incident in 2011, where her dragster caught fire after overturning due to a failed parachute deployment, she has proved that her absence from the racing circle did not impact her racing capabilities as she held first place, with a $30,000 cash prize._

_It is obvious that McCullers and her team of three, including her father, Nick McCullers, a former racer as well, has diligently placed time and effort into the comeback. Noting a subtle change in technique, the McCullers dragster had been renovated – swapping its fiberglass body for carbon fiber, which actively increased aerodynamics, and switching from Goodyear tires to Hoosier._

_With her charming personality, McCullers left us with an aspiring quote, "There were tough times […] even times when I thought that I'd never race again, but this is my passion, and I couldn't give up on myself like that,"_

_- Emily Fields, Rosewood Times. _

"Hm," Paige hummed, "This is pretty good," She placed the newspaper down beside her on the bed

"It is," Robert held in the smirk that was begging to make its appearance on his face, "You should give her a call," He said, watching her look at his with modest confusion, "To at least tell her that you read her article, you know?"

"Wouldn't that be weird,"

"I think it would be a compliment," He replied, "Think about it – a personal phone call to praise her article – that sounds pretty complimentary, doesn't it?"

Paige shrugged, "I'll call after practice," she glanced over at her clock, "Because I'm really late, and dad's probably going to blow a gasket"

* * *

**I should have mentioned this in the last chapter, but, originally this was on ~Harpfish's channel (who has changed to ~douxx since) a year or two ago, and, before she deleted all of her writings, I asked if I could use this general idea. So, some of this may seem familiar because it is familiar - but it's in my style of writing, and I'm going to write it differently.**

**Also, thanks to everyone who read, favorited, followed, or reviewed this - I highly appreciate it, so I'll try to update often.**


	3. Chapter 3

Smoke clouded Paige's vision as she felt her dragster decelerate into a gentle roll, following into the grooves of the track. She coughed as the stench of a burning odor filled her nostrils. Paige found herself unbuckling her harness, and pushing herself up, grasping the metal of her roll cage, and pulling out through the small window into the fresh air of outside.

She removed her helmet, and pushed her balaclava off, "Damn it," She said simply, glancing over at the engine of her dragster, realizing what she had done, "Damn,"

The familiar blue of the pick-up truck approached Paige quickly, and stopped behind her car. The first person to step out was her father, "You blew the clutch," He said, diagnosing the situation quickly. He scratched his brow, "We'll have to get another clutch plate… redo the flywheel…" He shook his head, "Do you realize how much this takes away?"

Paige frowned, "Yes, I know,"

"Then how could you be so negligent? Blowing the clutch should be the _last _thing that you would do! You have been driving for six years, Paige… and this is a beginner's mistake," He complained, "I have never blown a clutch, and I've been driving a hell of a lot longer than you. If you have your head in the game, then this should never happen,"

"I _do _have my head in the game," Paige snapped, "but maybe if I had a break every now and then, I wouldn't be so stressed behind the wheel,"

"'A break?'" He repeated, his tone mocking, "When you got in that accident, _that_ was your break – so you can't _afford _to take breaks now. You think that this is too _stressful_? Spending six hours on a track is too stressful? When I was your age, I was spending twelve hours on this track _and _going to a second job!"

"Then why don't you fucking drive!" Paige yelled, throwing her helmet against the asphalt of the ground, "I don't know what else you want from me! All I do is drive, and when I'm not, I have to listen to you complain about my driving! I get it, I don't drive as much as you did… but I've been on point for years!" Before her father could think of a reply, "I'm going home," She brushed past him and walked to the pick up, seeing Patrick behind the wheel.

"Hey, Paige," He greeted as Paige climbed into the passenger seat, but, as he saw the sour expression on her face, "Oh, you all right?"

"Can you take me home?"

"What about Nick?"

"He can walk back to the front," She said stoically, "Then he can take his own car home,"

He didn't challenge Paige, instead turned the truck around and sped down the track, to the dirt pit leading to the main road, "Paige…" He started, his eyes trained to the road, but his attention on his friend, "Talk to me,"

"There's nothing to talk about," She said, looking at the small houses passing by out the window

"I beg to differ,"

"It's just… I'm tired, you know?" She started, not being able to shut the gates as she opened them, "I want to do things other than race… because that's all I've done, through my entire life," She looked over to Patrick, "I didn't go to high school because that would take away from my time on the track – I _won't _go to college because dad forbids it. It's like… I can't even advance in life because dad won't let go of his stupid racing career, so he –"

"Puts it all on you, so he can still relive that life through you?" Patrick offered with a small smile

"Yes," She sighed, "Exactly,"

Patrick pulled into the driveway of the McCullers home, and parked, "You know, I've known you all my life," He started, pushing his blonde hair out of his face, "And we know each other pretty well, so I know that you need a break," He turned in his seat to face Paige, "So, take it," His expression was serious, which, in Paige's case, was rare to see, "I love being around you because you're my best friend, but I know that you're going to crack if you don't get away for a while, so, please, just go – get away from us, and all of this,"

Paige's face softened, "I… can't do that," She said, "It would break dad,"

"No, it wouldn't," He said, placing his calloused hand over Paige's, "It'll make him realize that he needs to let up and stop being such a hard ass,"

"Maybe you're right," She sighed, "But I don't have anywhere to go… I don't know anyone else but you and Rob,"

"Let me call a friend," Patrick offered, "She kind of owes me a favor anyways- I'll ask her to let you stay with her for a few days. She's nice, a bit ambitious and stubborn, but she's good,"

"And she'll let me stay with her… just like that?"

"You bet," Patrick smiled, "This will be good for you, Paige, I promise"

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Spencer Hastings said, watching Patrick raid her refrigerator for something to eat, "You want to pawn one of your racer buddies on me so she can take a break from daddy?" She rolled her eyes, "No,"

"You have absolutely nothing to eat here," Patrick simply announced, ignoring Spencer's statement, "I can see why you're so thin,"

"Did you hear anything I just said,"

Patrick nodded, "I did, I did,"

"I said 'no',"

"Aw, come on, Spence, you owe me," Patrick whined, "Just let her stay a while, uh, five days tops," He said, batting his eyelashes, "Please?"

"Fine, but, to be perfectly clear, after this, we're even,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Patrick waved his hand, "I'm going to go pick her up and bring her here, so, while I do that, please get some food; I don't think spoiled milk and an apple will suffice,"

* * *

"Okay, Spencer, meet Paige. Paige, meet Spencer," Patrick introduced, handing Paige her usual purple duffle bag. It was later in the afternoon, and Patrick was back at Spencer's apartment with Paige in tow, "I'm sure you two will be great with each other,"

"Uh…" Paige started, "Yeah?" She took her bag from Patrick.

"Come on in…" Spencer said, letting Paige into the sanctuary of her home, "I'll show you where you can stay," She turned to Patrick, "You know what, we're not even, _you _owe _me _now,"

"Whatever you say, Spencer," He said with a smile as Spencer shut the door to her apartment, locking him out, and locking Paige in.

"You… have a really nice place," Paige complimented, her eyes scanning her temporary living space.

"Thank you, now, follow me," Spencer led Paige to her guest room, which had became a room that was hardly ever used in Spencer's apartment, "You can stay here," She allowed Paige to scope out the room, observing the dark blue comforter on the bed, the vagueness of paintings on the wall, the dark furniture in the room, "The closet's that door on the left, and the bathroom is in the hallway,"

"Thanks…"

"And there's plenty of food in the fridge, too," Spencer said, closing the door to the guest room, leaving Paige alone in the room… alone with her thoughts.

_Dad is going to flip out._

_He's going to flip out and destroy the dragster._

_No, he won't do that… it means too much to him to do that._

_He'll probably consider it._

_Maybe._

_Actually, he won't even consider that either._

_He'll probably beat himself up about this…. Yeah, he'll probably do that._

Paige sighed, dropping her bag onto the hardwood floor, and plopping down on the bed. She lied on her side, and sighed again, closing her eyes, and, without any warning, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Don't worry, don't worry, I'll have Emily back in the next chapter - I just wanted to write in Spencer, since she's among my favorite characters in Pretty Little Liars.**

**I'll probably update in a day or two, I'm in a groove.**

**Please review if you get the chance!**

**-Frenz**


	4. Chapter 4

Emily gnawed the cap of her pen as her eyes scanned her written words in her journal, trying to spot any sight of error within the pages. She knew that she wouldn't find any, but the idea that she _might _find one, distracted her from the wondering thoughts that lurked deep inside her mind. Involuntarily, she found herself yawning, and took that as her cue to finally go to sleep.

She gently closed her journal and placed it on her nightstand. Emily turned off her lamp and settled into the darkness of her room, only illuminated by the soft glow of the lights outdoors.

As she allowed her body to relax, she vaguely found herself thinking back a few days – when she had met Paige McCullers. It had only been a simple encounter, but, for some reason, her mind wouldn't move past the event. There was something memorable to Emily about Paige; maybe it was the dazzling smile Paige owned, or the toned physique she had, Emily couldn't tell.

Emily sighed into her pillow; meeting Paige would be a one-time situation in her life, and it was time for her to try to take her mind off of the redheaded racer.

* * *

There was a dull buzzing pulling Emily out of her slumber, early in the morning. Her mind could hardly comprehend what the noise was, only that it was annoying, and that it didn't seem to be going away. Her hand wandered towards the sound, until she clasped her phone loosely, and, with a simple flick of her thumb, she found herself answering the intrusive call, "Hello," She rasped, her voice laced with tiredness.

"Um," replied the voice on the other end, and Emily scrunched her eyebrows. She pulled her phone away from her ear and squinted at the screen to see the number that had called her.

When she didn't recognize the number, "Who is this?" She questioned, about three seconds from hanging up.

A moment passed, "I read your article," came the voice, "I thought it was pretty good, and really well-written. I liked it," Emily felt her tiredness drain from her body quickly as she listened to the young woman on the other line, realizing who was speaking

"R-Really?"

"Definitely," Paige confirmed, "You're a fantastic journalist, Emily Fields,"

Emily blushed, quite glad that she was only talking to Paige through the phone rather than in person for the time being, "Thank you,"

"So…" Paige started, drawling out the single word, "How far is Rosewood from this area? I'm… just curious, I hardly get the chance to know my cities… well, those that don't have any competitions or whatever,"

"Rosewood isn't too far… maybe half an hour," She replied, "Why?"

There was a brief moment of silence on the other line, "I was just curious…" More silence, and then a sigh, "I was just wondering… if you would like to… hang out or something?" She paused, obviously hesitating, "You just seemed like a really nice person… and I… this is too sudden, isn't it?"

"Uh…"

"I'm so sorry, ach, I'm pretty awkward off the track, and I'm probably freaking you out—"

"Paige," Emily interrupted, biting her lip, "It's fine, I promise… we can hang out together, I really don't mind,"

"Really?" Paige replied, sounding surprised, but Emily couldn't help but smile

"Yes, really, Paige,"

There was another period of silence on the other line, and Emily tried to think of how Paige would look on the other end at… she gazed at her alarm clock… six o'clock in the morning.

"So… what are you doing today?"

Emily found herself shrugging; it was a Thursday, her best friend and roommate, Aria, was out of town with her boyfriend, which had successfully left Emily alone. Plus, Emily didn't have to report back to work until Saturday, so that just solidify the fact that she probably had little to nothing to do in her spare time. "Nothing today," Emily answered

"Then… why don't we change that?" Paige said hopefully, "Let's hang out together,"

* * *

The two of them worked out the kinks in their plan, settling on meeting at a local café in Rosewood that Emily had always went to, but Emily found herself nervous. As she waited patiently for the racer to come around, her nerves didn't calm down whatsoever. She listened to the light traffic pass her by, until she heard a deep rumble of motor, which, from what Emily knew, wasn't from anyone from her hometown.

Her attention whipped to the sound, realizing that a motorcycle was quickly approaching her direction. When it stopped curbside in front of Emily, she looked confused as to why the person decided to stop there of all places.

Soon, her question was answered as the engine of the motorcycle cut and the rider took of the helmet encasing the identity.

"I should have figured," Emily said simply with a smile

"Hey," Paige smirked, holding her helmet under her arm, "Sorry, this was literally the only ride I could get my hands on," She explained, referring the motorcycle she had in her possession, which Emily could tell that it was deftly modified and screamed expensive.

"That's fine, I'm glad that you could make it"

"Yeah," Paige looked at Emily, taking in the casual of her attire, and smiled, "Do you wanna ride?"

Emily's raised her eyebrows, "On that…?"

"Why not? It's pretty enjoyable and pretty relaxing, believe it or not. It's really nice, I promise," It was something that Emily hadn't prepared for, in fact, the idea of riding a motorcycle wasn't even on her list of 'could happen'. But what was the worst that could happen?

"All right,"

* * *

**A relatively short and hastily written chapter - I'm hardly focused since I have Netflix back in my life and I'm spending my time rewatching Pretty Little Liars as my family grows increasingly annoyed that I'm screaming at fictional events randomly throughout the night... yeah.**

**Leave a review, s'il te plait :) **

**-Frenz**


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